Whiptop game

ABSTRACT

A spinning top with a relatively short stubby spindle, a short cylindrical body mounted on the spindle intermediate its ends and at unequal axial spacings from respective ends, and a radial pointer adjacent the body, the top being used in conjunction with a whip having a stiff handle and a flexible lash, and a playing surface provided for example as zones on a flexible sheet or on a game board orientatable with respect to a support.

United States Patent 1 Torgow Feb.4, 1975 1 1 WHIPTOP GAME [76] Inventor: Abraham M. Torgow, 185 E. 206th St., Bronx, N.Y. 10458 [22] Filed: Mar. 16, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 341,862

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 257,276, May 26,

1972, abandoned [52] US. Cl. 273/110, 46/65 [51] Int. Cl. A631 9/16 [58] Field of Search 46/64, 65, 67, 73;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1893 Burch 273/108 9/1919 Nussbeck.. 273/108 1,319,123 10/1919 Simon 46/65 1,364,632 1/1921 I-Iarringt0n.... 273/110 2,058,692 10/1936 Humphrey. 46/64 2,145,608 l/1939 Oehler 273/147 2,638,706 5/1953 Seale 46/64 2,671,663 3/1954 Gurt et a1. 1. 46/64 X 3,025,632 3/1962 Brooks et a1 46/73 X 3,236,522 2/1966 Brown 273/110 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 452,727 11/1927 Germany 46/65 25,783 5/1908 Great Britain .1 273/108 108,522 2/1917 Great Britain 273/110 386,858 12/1923 Germany 273/147 Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle Assistant Examiner-Harry G. Strappello Attorney, Agent, or Firm-William Anthony Drucker [57] ABSTRACT A spinning top with a relatively short stubby spindle, a short cylindrical body mounted on the spindle intermediate its ends and at unequal axial spacings from respective ends, and a radial pointer adjacent the body, the top being used in conjunction with a whip having a stiff handle and a flexible lash, and a playing surface provided for example as zones on a flexible sheet or on a game board orientatable with respect to a support.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEI] FEB 41975 SHEET 1 OF 2 WHIPTOP GAME This application is a continuation in part of my copending application Ser. No. 257,276 filed on May 26, 1972, and now abandoned, for Toy Apparatus.

This invention relates to spinning top apparatus for playing a game, and has particular reference to spinning tops which are adapted to be set and kept in motion by beating with a whip.

The invention has for an object to provide a spinning top with a unique stubby spindle enabling it to be spun with the hand or with a whip.

Another object is to provide a spinning top with a heart-shaped pointer dynamically balanced with respect to its spindle.

A further object is to provide, for use in combination with the improved spinning top, a playing area having novel marking of zones, e.g. associated with such a heart-shaped pointer, or on a game board orientatable with respect to a support.

Other features, objects and advantages of the improved spinning top apparatus will be apparent from the following description wherein some embodiments of spinning top, whip apparatus, and game board suitable for use therewith are particularly set forth with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective side elevation of a first embodiment of spinning top;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of whip;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of game board;

FIG. 4 is a perspective elevation of a second embodiment of spinning top;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of whip;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of game board.

Referring to FIG. 1, the spinning top comprises a ho]- low spindle I, having a stem with solid rounded end portions 2, and a generally cylindrical body portion 3 mounted coaxially on the spindle and positioned nearer to one end portion than the other, such that the portions of the spindle are of unequal length. Adjacent to the upper face of the body portion 3 there is positioned a pointer 4 which, in the embodiment shown is heartshaped plate. The member 4 could be of any other shape capable of serving to point towards a player or an area of a playing surface, when the spinning top is at rest, but the heart-shaped pointer is appropriate to two of the games described by way of example below.

The heart-shaped pointer member 4 is advantageously dynamically balanced about the axis of rotation of the spindle. The body 3 is seen to be a short cylinder with a cylindrical whip-receiving surface 3a defined between two axially-spaced radially-projecting shoulders 3b, 3b. For example the body may be composed of two axially-spaced solid discs mounted coaxially on the spindle and a cylindrical wrapper surface 3a disposed between the discs, thereby to concentrate a high proportion of the mass at or adjacent to the largest circumference of the body.

The spinning top may be conveniently be made as a moulding of plastics material, and would advantageously be highly coloured and/or made partially or wholly of transparent or translucent material. It will be seen that the spinning top illustrated has a unique stubby spindle, top and bottom, and is suitably fat for grasping and for spinning by twisting the upper end of the spindle with the hand, or by engagement of a whip around the spindle or around the body, or by repeated beating of the top with a whip.

Referring to FIG. 2, the whip has a relatively stiff handle 5, and a relatively flexible lash 6. The form and dimensions shown are obviously not critical, provided that such a whip is suitable to start the spinning top rotating and keep it rotating by repeated beating.

Referring to FIG. 3 there is shown a game board which may be used in conjunction with the spinning top of FIG. 1, or with the spinning top of FIG. 1 and the whip of FIG. 2. This game board comprises a rectangular portion 7 of a convenient flexible sheet material, eg woven fabric, or a plastic sheet. At each end the sheet 7 is provided with a stiffner rod 8 on which there is secured, or integrally formed, a handle 9 to facilitate stretching of the sheet out into the fully-extended playing position shown, and for carrying the board when folded up and not in use. For use in two of the games described by way of example below, the upper surface of the sheet 7 is marked with zones as a playing area, e.g. is provided with heart-shaped areas of at least two sizes, such as the large central heart marking 10, four intermediate-sized heart markings 11, and four smallersized heart markings l2. Suitable dimensions for the board would be, for example, about 6 feet long by about 3 feet wide.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a second embodiment of spinning top 13 which is of generally conical external form, and has a rounded tip. Most of the side wall of the top has a continuous spiral groove 14 to receive a string wound therein for starting the top spinning. The string may advantageously be the lash portion of the whips described herein. In playing the game, as hereinafter described in detail, two or more such tops may be spun simultaneously.

Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a second embodiment of whip having a relatively stiff handle 15, and a relatively flexible lash 16. On the end of the handle 15 remote from the lash there is provided a solid rubber ball 17 enabling the whip as a whole to be utilised as a mallet.

Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a second embodiment of game board 18 having a playing surface 19 which is here illustrated as being circular, but which could likewise be oval, elliptical, or rectangular. Preferably the game board includes a retainer means at its edge, such as the raised lip 20, to prevent the top from running off the playing surface. Advantageously, the playing surface 19 is shallowly or deeply dished or generally made concave, to assist in preventing the top from running off the playing surface. Where the game board is relatively elongated, e.g. rectangular, it may be hollowed and of trough-like configuration.

The game board 18 is preferably provided with means such as the handle 21 for manipulation by a player to tilt the playing surface in a desired manner. The game board 18 is illustrated as carried on a support comprising a column 22 and a foot 23, to raise it above ground level. The game board 18 may be mounted at its base on the support, either rigidly or by means of a simple univeral coupling, such as a ball joint, disposed at location 24. Alternatively, the game board may be formed at its underside at location 24 with a fulcrum to seat on the upper end of the support and permit the board to be tilted readily in any direction.

General rules for playing a game with the abovedescribed apparatus may be as follows: The game is started by starting the top spinning on the game board. using the hand or a string or a whip lash to start it spinning. Thereafter the top is kept spinning and/or moved to different areas of the game board, by whipping the top spindle.

The spinning top, or the top and whip, may be used instead in association with a game or playing area marked or any other convenient surface, for example of a pavement suitably marked permanently or with chalk.

In a first simple example, the apparatus is used in a boy and girl kissing game which might be entitled Wiffin & Kissin. A number of boys and girls disposed themselves in opposed positions in a circle, and the top is spun, by hand or by whip, and allowed to come to rest. The two ends or the top, i.e. the point and the opposed recess of the heart of member 4, in FIG. 1, then serve to point out a boy and a girl. The spinning top is then placed on the game board, or other similar playing area, and is spun at a position outside the large central heart 10. The boy and the girl previously selected, as described above, each alternately whip the top. The boys objective is to drive the top onto the large heart 10, whilst the girl s objective is to try to prevent this from occurring. If the boy succeeds in driving the top onto the large heart 10, before the top comes to rest or is driven completely off the playing area, the boy has won that round and is entitled to collect a kiss in forfeit from the girl.

In a second simple example, the apparatus can be used by a single player, and might be entitled love me, love me not. The top is spun, by hand or whip, on the large heart area 10. The player then tries, by whipping the top, to make it touch a small heart 12, before it stops spinnings. If the top last makes contact with the large heart 10, or with an intermediate heart 11, before it stops spinning, the answer is NO. If the top last makes Contact with a small heart 12 before it stops spinning, the answer is YES".

In a third simple example, the apparatus can be used by several players, for example six boys. The game board, or the playing area used, is then marked differently from that shown in FIG. 3, i.e. the heart-shaped markings 10, 11 and 12 are omitted completely. and the whole playing area is divided, by colouring and/or boundary lines, into simple zones of equal size, one for each player. By way of example, the area could be subdivided into size zones of equal size by a single central longitudinal line and two parallel spaced transverse lines. The top is spun on the playing area and the players then whip the top, for example each in turn, and try to keep the top out of their area.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for playing a game comprising in combination, a spinnable conical top having a pointed lower end, a whip comprising a relatively stiff handle, a relatively flexible lash and an orientable game board having an edge and including a smooth concave top playing surface adapted to receive said spinnable top thereon, and means for pivotally support the game board for universal tilting movement of the board, a handle attached to said game board and projecting outwardly beyond said edge for tilting said board.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said gameboard is provided with a peripheral rim projecting upwardly from the playing surface.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the means for pivotally supporting the game board for universal tilting movement includes a base member and an upright secured thereto for supporting the game board in spaced relation to the base to permit the universal tilting movement thereof.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein means for pivotally supporting the game board for universal tilting movement includes a base member and an upright secured thereto for supporting the game board in spaced relation to the base to permit the universal tilting movement thereof. 

1. Apparatus for playing a game comprising in combination, a spinnable conical top having a pointed lower end, a whip comprising a relatively stiff handle, a relatively flexible lash and an orientable game board having an edge and including a smooth concave top playing surface adapted to receive said spinnable top thereon, and means for pivotally support the game board for universal tilting movement of the board, a handle attached to said game board and projecting outwardly beyond said edge for tilting said board.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said gameboard is provided with a peripheral rim projecting upwardly from the playing surface.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the means for pivotally supporting the game board for universal tilting movement includes a base member and an upright secured thereto for supporting the game board in spaced relation to the base to permit the universal tilting movement thereof.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein means for pivotally supporting the game board for universal tilting movement includes a base member and an upriGht secured thereto for supporting the game board in spaced relation to the base to permit the universal tilting movement thereof. 